Semiconductor memory device and method of operating the same

Abstract

A semiconductor memory device of the present invention includes a memory cell array with cell strings having word lines stacked on a substrate and a vertical channel layer formed through the word lines, a peripheral circuit configured to select one of the word lines and perform a program operation on the selected word line, and a control circuit configured to control the peripheral circuit to perform the program operation by applying a program voltage to a word line selected for the program operation, applying a ground voltage to a word line of which a program operation has been completed and applying a pass voltage to the other word lines.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0048770, filed on May 8, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor memory device and a method of operating the same.[0003]High density memory has been continuously required since manufacturing techniques for semiconductors have improved. A memory device having three-dimensional structure, where memory cells are vertically stacked on a silicon substrate, has been suggested, since a memory device having two-dimensional structure, where the memory cells are formed with one layer on the silicon substrate is reaching a limit.[0004]However, a problem exists in that a process for three-dimensional structures is unstable and / or the reliability of the memory device has deteriorated in the new three-dimensional structure. Various methods for solving the problem h...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a semiconductor memory device and method of operating it that reduces disturbance based on the pass voltage by minimizing the number of times a pass voltage is applied to a memory cell not selected when a program operation is performed. This means that the device can access the required memory cell with a lower risk of interference from neighboring cells and achieve improved programming accuracy and reliability.

Problems solved by technology

However, a problem exists in that a process for three-dimensional structures is unstable and / or the reliability of the memory device has deteriorated in the new three-dimensional structure.

Accordingly, a problem exists in that the number of times a pass voltage is applied to each word line increases every time a program operation is performed, causing the threshold voltage of the memory cell to change based on the pass voltage.

Images